Will the Marketing Plan for Crowdfunding Follow the Same Path as Facebook Gaming?

Last week I was discussing the similarity crowdfunding projects have to the original Facebook games, with the Daily Crowdsource staff. Remember when your pre-timeline facebook page was filled with requests to join your fellow friends tackling angry mobsters & crop farming? The success of Facebook games took off through the tactic of encouraging participants to invite their friends. A brilliant move to grow the game company's audience, but a poor tactic for keeping friends.

Crowdfunding is still in its infancy and so you may not have ever received an email asking for a donation. But what happens when crowdfunding goes mainstream? Are inboxes going to be cluttered with cries for donations? The very cornerstone of a crowdfunding platform's marketing strategy is this exact same tactic: Get someone to post a project, then invite all their friends to donate. Rinse & repeat.

Our Operations Champ, Alicia, found this little gem from Portlandia that demonstrates what it feels like.

Has this happened to you? No? Maybe you don't have enough friends or children.